


The Day I Literally Ran Into Mirkwood: A Love Story, Sort Of

by jobiwonkanobi



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-05
Updated: 2014-02-24
Packaged: 2018-01-07 15:12:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1121342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jobiwonkanobi/pseuds/jobiwonkanobi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I came to four realizations in that moment: <br/>1. I was in the woods alone with no weapon. <br/>2.Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky' would be the song I was murdered to. <br/>3. This dude looks like he's on his way to the renaissance fair. <br/>4.I really shouldn't be thinking this. It's totally inappropriate, but this guy's kind of hot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Daft Punk, Creepy Woods, and Blondes

Running has never come easy to me. I’ve literally gone through blood, sweat, and tears to get where I’ve gone. But one thing is for certain, if I had never pushed through horrible cramps, unattractive and painful tripping, nasty hot weather and chilling rain, I would have ended up where I am now.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Bye dad I’m going for a run.” I said as I grabbed my headphones from the counter, tripping over the dog bowl as I passed the couch where he was laying reading one of his books.  
“Be careful.” he replied, continuing the routine dialogue we’ve stuck to since I was fourteen. I’m seventeen going on close to eighteen now, and my running habit has only been kept up by daily new music downloads. So, as I stuck my headphone buds in my ears, I scrolled through all my songs until finally just putting it on shuffle.  
After a quick stretch I jogged around the house and made my way to the trail leading into the woods. It took me quite a while when was younger to get over my fear that I would be one of those girls in the horror movies saying ‘hello’ into the darkness about to get murdered. Thankfully that fear is long gone now. But, to my defense, it did still look like the woods from Jeepers Creepers. Setting a brisk pace, my legs carried me over fallen logs and mud.   
Letting my mind wander, I went over the weeks past events. Nothing eventful. Mostly just going through the motions. Nothing really interested me at school except for end of the year pranks and friends. The cafe I worked at in the afternoons was just a crappy job pouring coffee to earn money for college. Boys didn’t express interest in me, so there was no boyfriend in the picture. My life felt like I was just going through the motions.  
As I ran, the forest path suddenly became much more dark and tangled than I remembered. I pushed the thought away and convinced myself it was just mucky because of the rain a few days earlier. Not until my feet were suddenly becoming tripped up and my hair snagged out of it’s pony tail did I start to panic. Stopping, I put my hands on my knees panting, glad no one was around to see me looking like I was going into labour. A rustling noise sounded from behind, so i spun around, hands in a weird defensive pose.  
What the hell?  
I came to four realizations in that moment:  
1\. I am in the woods alone with absolutely no weapon.  
2\. Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ would be the song i would be murdered to, which I wasn’t sure how I felt about, seeing as how a death song is usually a little more serious and mournful.  
3\. Why the heck does the dude standing in front of me look like he’s on his way to a renaissance festival?  
4\. I really shouldn’t be thinking this. It’s totally inappropriate, but this guy is kind of hot.  
“Do not move. Who are you and what are you doing here?” He ordered in an all-business tone. Transfixed by the end of a very sharp looking arrow pointed directly at my face, all I could utter was a very intelligent and poised ‘uhhh’.  
As he surveyed me, I took the chance to observe him. He had long blond hair that was halfway pulled back, with braids on the sides. His eyes were piercing blue and he seemed to be wearing some weird green tunic thing with what looked like armor on the shoulders. I tried to speak again.  
“Look, um, please don’t kill me. My dad is a redneck, trust me, you don’t want to face his wrath. Seriously, one time in 7th grade, this boy gave me a valentine’s card and my dad threatened to chop his man jewels off.” I rambled, so far past panicking I was numb.  
Drawing back his arrow, he stepped back and said “Follow me.” Not seeing any other choice, I followed. As we were walking-well, he was walking, I was kind of just staggering over roots and clumsily ducking through branches- I was painfully aware of my vulnerable mud-splattered appearance. My mane of curls was probably borderline scary and I was sweaty from my run. My mind was racing as to whether or not he was leading me to my death or something even worse. I didn’t even understand how this was all possible. These woods we were in were not the woods I began my run in. These trees were dark and sick looking. Even the man was mysterious and almost inhuman looking.  
I’m not going to lie, as we walked, i mostly just admired his grace and incredible posture. He seemed to just glide with ease. his movements though, also suggested he didn’t trust me, as he kept looking sideways at my body moments. Honestly, he really shouldn’t be worried. I’m literally 5 feet 4 inches of hair and teenage curves. I had muscles from running, but it was mostly in my legs.  
After walking(staggering) through the dense forest, the trees seemed to lighten up a bit and look a bit less unruly. Soon we came upon a huge archway leading into the side of some cavern. And when I say huge, I mean huge. It was like 30 feet tall. Guards I guess were posted on either side, looking very sinister in their stances. They gave a slight bow to the man who found me and regarded me with slight curiosity.  
“Oh my God.” was all that escaped my mouth as I gazed at the sight in front of me. It was a giant cavern that seen to go on for miles. Trees and carved stone made pathways that led in all different directions like a labyrinth. The blond man was probably getting very annoyed with me, but I couldn’t contain my utter awe. The maze was so breathtakingly intricate I couldn’t move for a couple of seconds.  
“King Thranduil’s throne room is this way he said, guiding me along a passageway towards the center of the cavern. He was looking at me like he couldn’t figure out why I was so amazed by all the nature. Well he shouldn’t be giving me the crazy eye, this was literally never anything I’ve ever seen before.  
“Erm…okay” awkwardly, I walked beside his until we approached a cleared pavilion of the so called 'king', getting more nervous with each step.  
He sat on a throne of huge antlers. Regal and magnificent looking he regarded me with calm curiosity as he perched up on his throne. His hair was the same color and length of the man who captured me, though his head was topped with a berry and antler decorated crown. He was so intense it was hard to look him in the eye. It was as if he radiated sheer power,  
“Who is this strange elfling you have found Legolas?” I kind of just stared up at him with wide eyes. Oh, so that’s my kidnapper’s name. Legolas. Just as strange as Thranduil.  
“She ran into our forest seemingly lost, as she is not one of our realm. She wears strange clothes and her accent has never been heard of. She does not seem very graceful.” he announced, frowning thoughtfully at me.  
“Excuse me? You expect me to be worried about my grace at a time like this? I’m stranded in strange woods, tired, and taken captive by some weirdo man, yet you expect me to glide around like some fairy princess?!” I exclaimed, finally snapping. In my rage, I had forgotten the king was present until he spoke with a slight sense of amusement.  
“You are right Legolas, this elleth is not of our territory.” He turned his head towards me”tell me young thing, how did you come upon my realm?” His eyes were watching my every move, as if to catch any lie.   
I side, rubbing my hand over my eyes. “I was going for my daily run when all of the sudden the woods changed around me. I finally stopped and came face to face with this dude.” I said, gesturing half-heartedly towards the blond called legolas. All that I wanted was to go to sleep and wake up in my real bed in my real house. Maybe re- watch a couple of Supernatural episodes or bake something with a friend. This whole situation felt like some jacked up dream.  
The king tilted his head to the side, probably deciding what the heck he was going to do with me.”You are weary. I will let you rest tonight under careful watch. Try to escape or harm anybody, and you will be put to death. You are of my race, but you are also a strange foreign creature.”  
Did he just call me a creature?  
“I do not see reason to imprison you yet, but my trust shall be earned before I set you free. Do you understand?”  
“Ditto Mr. King. Lead the way Leggy.” I slurred, becoming quite hazy under all the fatigue and confusion now that I knew there was no immediate death. Last thing I remember was the shocked face of Legolas as I grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the throne room and it’s intimidating occupant.


	2. Demented Cats and Untied Shoelaces

"Who is this strange elfling you have found Legolas?"  
"…does not seem very graceful like our kind."  
"…this elleth is not of our territory."

I bolted upright in my bed, suddenly wide awake. "Did he call me an elf?" Huddling in the corner of my bed/mat thing I let my mind reel over what I had been told. Tentatively, I raised my fingers up to the tips of my ears and promptly screamed like some demented cat.  
Holy lord mother of cocoa puffs.  
"My lady, are you unwell?" a voice called from outside the door of my small room. It was one of the guards stationed outside my room.  
"Uh yeah. Yeah of course. Go on guarding my fair…guard…" I absentmindedly replied, too busy trying not to hyperventilate.  
My name is Annie. Annabelle Jones. Annabelle Jones the human. Not Annie the elf. I've never even met Santa before! Oh wait. Nevermind. These elves don't seem like Santa's little helpers. Crap. maybe I'm like the elves from Thor 2. Nah...still a regular girl. Except for the pointed ears of course.  
Contemplating whether or not my new ears were surgically made as some sort of sick prank, I heard a shuffling outside my door. Looking up terrified, I did not expect Legolas to be standing in the archway.  
"The guards have informed me you are awake. Another strange thing about you it seems. Our kind do not sleep, yet you do." He said, regarding me suspiciously. "King Thranduil would like to speak to you again. Come." he spun around and started walking out to the corridor  
"Wait. What?" Scrambling to find my tennis shoes that I had kicked off during the night, I roughly shoved them on and speed limped after the blond elf. My legs were sore because I didn't stretch after my quite adventurous run and I was still disgruntled over literally running into a new world/turning into an apparent elf.  
"My Lady, what is your name?" Legolas asked. I rolled my eyes at how he just now decided to be polite.  
"Annabelle, but call me Annie." I replied, thinking about how cliche that sounded. He only nodded and we continued to walk in silence until we reached the great throne room, where once again, the king sat majestic looking on his throne. I wandered how long it took him to master that pose. It seemed like he had a lot of time on his hands.  
"Ahhh Legolas, thank you. I would like to question our visitor now." Thranduil said, regarding me with a smirk.  
And that is how I started my day: Getting questioned by a king wearing workout leggings and muddy sneakers with the shoelaces untied.  
"I see you are now rested. This is strange that you had to sleep. Our kind do not usually indulge in such mortal practice."  
"Um yeah, I kind of need to make a confession." The king raised a magnificently groomed and well shaped eye-brow. "I was kind of human before I ran into your realm." I rushed out, not sure if this statement would be be my poison. The king stood up, stretching to his full height(like 8 feet dang son) before he strode down the steps of his throne and started to circle around me. I stood perfectly still. Kind of awkwardly posed between a drill sergeant and a turtle, not sure if he was about to open a can of whoop-ass or what.  
"This explains a many of things about your peculiar nature. You are quite short for an elleth. Your hair is…wild." I moved my hand to my hair, realizing in horror that he was probably being nice when he said 'wild'. "You sleep when we do not. Grace is not something you possess, and, pardon my observance, but your form is not slender like most elleths." he said as he finished circling and came to a stop a couple of feet away from me.  
Did I just get called fat?  
"I do not know why you were brought here. The sorcery is still veiled. I can see no reason to believe that you will harm my realm, but these are dark times. I have seen the wrath and ruins of this earth and yet you are a new force brought into my Woodland Realm. Tell me, what was the life you led before?" He leaned forward a bit, which meant I promptly stepped back.  
I hesitated before speaking, trying to pull my thoughts together and keep the tears in. "I-I was a student in high school. Oh wait you don't have high school here probably, but it's just a place kids between the ages of fourteen through eighteen usually attend in the public schools of America. Uh America is the country I live in. More specifically, Texas, which is a state. I worked in a small breakfast type cafe after school were I made tips to save for college. My dad is a mechanic and my mom is a nurse. We lived on a couple of acres in a small house near some woods. Uh…my dog's name was Duke….Um yeah, basically that's it." I finished lamely. Glancing at Legolas, I saw he was frowning as he looked upon me.  
"Your world seems to be so very different from the one you are in now." Thranduil said, cocking his head to the side as he gazed at me. "How many years are you?"  
"Seventeen, though I'll be eighteen in two months."  
"So young are you compared to those around you elleth." The king proclaimed, looking at me in a kind of creepy way. The dude is just so intense.  
"What do you mean? You and Legolas look like ya'll are twenty." I said, confused at his comment. I heard Legolas make some sort of cough/laugh. I swiveled around to give him a glare before looking back at Thranduil.  
He chuckled. "I am six thousand years old young one." I gaped at him, my face probably looking really unattractive in such a dumbfounded state.  
"You have got to be shitting me. How is that even possible? Are you just messing with me cause I look gullible?" I swirled around to look at Legolas. "How old is he then?"  
"My son is fifteen hundred years of age."  
Son? Hold. Up.  
I looked back and forth between the two blond 'old' men and finally put two and two together. Both had the same color hair and eyebrows. Both carried themselves in a royal poised way. I now realized why Legolas was the one to bring me to the king and why he was still standing here.  
"Oh, son?"  
"Yes, did he not tell you?" Thranduil asked as he arched his eyebrow and turned to look at his blond son.  
Legolas looked put out. "I did not seem the need to tell her." Thranduil gave a look that suggested interesting before turning back to me.  
"Tomorrow, I will send a guide to lead you around the premises. You will be watched at all times. Do not think my trust will be earned easily. You can wait. A hundred years is a mere blink of an eye for an elf as you will learn."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Ok so please review! I'm trying not to make Thranduil be all like "Hey wassup girl welcome to my crib." and like accept her so soon because in the books/movie he's super paranoid about others, but there's no other way for me to continue this story the way I want to without him accepting her soon. As with the legomance, it's not going to happen super quick, I want a normal friendship first. Thanks for reading!  
> Maybe idk yet sneak peek:  
> This is Tauriel, Captain of the Woodland Realm's guard.  
> ALSO:  
> I like that mug. That's a nice mug.


	3. Mug Grabbing, Eye Undressing, and Melons

For a whole week, I was led around the huge cavern/palace by an elf woman called Vanya. Actually it was Vanyalanthiriel, but after my butchered attempt at pronunciation, she told me to just call her Vanya. She was really nice and pretty, and when I asked her what her name was she said it mean't 'beautiful waterfall'. She's also young like me. Well, when I say young, I mean like 500 years old.  
Currently, we have just finished eating breakfast in some hall. It was all salad type stuff and this thing called lembas bread. I may have eaten like 3 of them. It was pretty good, although I already miss my beloved bacon burgers.  
"Annie, would you like to see the wine cellar now?" Vanya asked. I nodded eagerly. A couple of days ago she had told me that King Thranduil's main export was wine. They transported it to some town called Lake-village or something like that. We probably would have visited the cellar sooner, but I was so fascinated by the Woodland Realm's never-ending mysteries I had to stop and ask endless questions. Most of them were 'Hey could I climb that?' in which the answer was always no, and 'How the heck did ya'll even do that?' in which Vanya would smile and say time.  
We made our way down some passageways until we reached the guarded doors of the cellar. The elves in the huge room looked at us curiously while Vanya explained to them in elvish why we were here, so I started exploring the vast space. There were a lot of barrels and random things that I had no idea what they were.  
I like that mug. That's a nice mug.  
Not going to lie, I had a pretty big mug obsession back home, so when I saw the intricately designed organic beauty on a shelf, it was really hard for me to not grab it and run. Like I swear, 'Let's Get it On' was even playing in the background.  
"Do you like it? " a guard asked me, though he kept glancing at Vanya. I knew that look. He was not asking me this question out of the curiosity in his heart. He wanted to look good in front of my elleth companion. I decided to use this situation to my advantage, then when we leave I'll pounce the questioning on Vanya.  
"Oh yes, yes I do. It would be so kind and generous of someone if I could receive one." I said, batting my eyes dramatically, probably looking like I had turrets. The man elf absentmindedly handed me the mug, all the while looking at my friend. I quickly snatched it to my chest. "Kay thanks bye!" I exclaimed, grabbing Vanya's hand and speed walking like the wind out of the cellar.  
Pulling her to a secluded hallway, I spun her around to face me. "Explain. Now." I ordered, trying to keep my giddy smile inside. That whole exchange was just so darn cute. Execpt my part, that was just devious.  
She blushed. "I do not know what you are speaking of." she rushed out.  
"Vanyalanthing-thing, or whatever your full name is. I am not blind. A certain brown haired palace guard was throwin' some serious mind undressing."  
Vanya finally smiled and squealed, covering her face. "Oh mellon! He is so kind! whenever I journey down to the cellar we look at each other and I just feel something in my heart." I started jumping up and down, excited there was something finally normal going on in this world. Even if it was just boy drama.  
"Ahhh I think he really likes you. Did you see how he handed me this mug." I exclaimed, waving it around. "He didn't even look in my direction. His eyes were on you and only you." We started jumping up and down like we were in middle school because of our of giddiness. "Oh wait. What does melon mean? Like did you literally just call me a piece of fruit or is that code-word for something?" Vanya laughed.  
"No Annie. It means friend. You are my friend, correct?" she asked, suddenly worried. I nodded and gave her a big smile. Latching her arm in mine, we continued our walk.  
"And if you feel, like I feel baby. Come on, come on. Let's get it-"  
"Annie, what in Middle Earth are you singing?"  
"Nothing."

Walking back to our chambers(which were situated close to each other), I saw Legolas walking by with another she-elf. "Legolas! Look at my mug! Isn't it cooooool?" I said, thrusting it in his direction. The tall strong looking elleth next to him looked between us confusedly.  
"How did you come upon this?" he asked, an amused smile on his face. Vanya and I exchanged looks and bit back smiles.  
"Um, quick wit and feminine charm?" I gave a non-suspicious looking smile, though he didn't look convinced.  
He turned to his red-headed companion. "This is Tauriel." he said, gesturing politely at her. He seemed a bit stiff if you asked me. "She is captain of our guard." She looked at me as if she were seeing if I was dangerous. I would too if I were her. I looked like a highly caffeinated kid who just robbed a candy store.  
"Hi! This is my watermelon Vanya." I said. She mumbled something like 'It's mel-lon' as she curtsied.  
"She is your guide?" Tauriel asked. Her voice was cool and collected. I nodded  
"Yep. She's really cool. Plus she's got a palace guard wants to be more than mel-lons with her." I said, wiggling my eyebrows at Vanya. Tauriel just gave me a 'wtf' look while Legolas gave a confused smile. "Anyway, she just showed me the cellars, ya'll did a great job down there. Lots of interesting…stuff."  
Legolas nodded in acknowledgement before saying "I am glad you enjoyed it. If you will excuse us, we must hurry. There is a disturbance at the border." He and Tauriel walked away, though I did see him look back at me. Probably wondering if he should leave me in such a mug-frenzied state. I looked back at Vanya, only to see her abashed expression.  
"What?" I asked.  
"You talk so forward!" she exclaimed. I just shrugged and we continued to walk to our chambers. We said goodbye and went our separate ways after I made her promise we would go back to the cellars the next day to stalk her crush.  
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I looked around the room, already restless. I got up and grabbed the hand mirror from the bedside table. Thinking that I had nothing better to do, I surveyed my reflection. Nothing was really different about me. My old acne scars were gone and my ears were pointed, but my hair was still unfortunately frizzy, though I did manage to get my hands on some type of oil when I took a bath. It helped a bit, but my mane had a life of it's own. Light brown and long, it was pulled back in a half up ponytail at the moment.  
I sighed before rolling onto my back. The days in the Woodland realm had been busy, but at night I was fighting a battle with my mind, trying not to be sad about my other life. It wasn't the greatest, but I did love my family.  
I couldn't help but think I'd stumbled into Narnia or something. I mean, there were elves in the books, but somehow I doubted this sinister race was related to the whimsical creatures from the realm in a wardrobe. Though in the book, it was by a bunch of puddles.  
Hmmmm. Maybe I can get my hands on a ring from a nutty wizard that happens to have magical properties. Nahhh... I can't be in a world like that. That's only in Narnia.  
I closed my eyes and surrendered to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peek of next chapter: "Aghhhhh! Ahhhhh! Ughhhhh!" I yelled as I stop, dropped, and rolled. Catching my hair on fire will not be one of my fondest memories.
> 
> A/N: Behold! The third chapter is complete. I have been updating everyday but I will have to slow down to once a week. Thank you for all those who have reviewed! Please review if you haven't. I'm open to advice, corrections, or suggestions as to what will happen later on in the story.  
> The Tauriel meeting was kind of lame, I'm going to work on it, don't worry. Many more meetings shall come!  
> p.s. Im chewing this really good gum called lemon meringue by extra desserts. It's so dang good! The flavor is so plentiful!


	4. Mission Impossibe, BS, and Hippies

"Doo do do do do dooooo" I hummed the Mission Impossible theme song under my breath as I ducked behind pillars and barrel-rolled by doorways. At the moment, I was trying to avoid Vanya and get down to the cellars. I had to see if this pointy eared elvish guard was a good guy…elf. I have to say, sneaking around in a dress is kind of hard. Since obviously I couldn't stay in my old workout gear from home(I insisted keeping them though), I was offered a simple brown and green dress with leggings, an under shift for sleeping, and some weird corset type thing to wear under my dress during the day.  
"Dun dun duuu- ow crap." I whispered to myself. These dumb boots I wore kept making scuffing noises because they were new. They were also really slippery, so I kicked them off and tucked them behind a stone pillar. I had finally reached the floor right above the cellar, I was not about to get caught because of noisy shoes.  
Finally reaching the doorway to the cellar, I tucked away my inner Tom Cruise and put on my 'if you hurt my friend I will castrate you' face. Trying to keep a devious smile from forming, I went up to the elf who I now know as Alonnen. He was talking to the same elf that was with him the last time, sitting at a table with some cheese and wine. As they saw me approach they both stood up. Not sure if it was because I was a female or because I was a strange foreigner that had crashed landed into their world and wasn't really supposed to be wandering the halls, I just gave a small wave in return.  
"Le hannon." I said to him. He gave a confused look, so I continued. "For the mug. I know that you only gave it to me because of Vanya, but it's a flipping awesome mug, so yeah." He looked surprised.  
"I do not know of what you speak my lady." Alonnen said. His companion observed our exchange with growing interest.  
"Oh I think you do. You were't exactly subtle." His face grew embarrassed.  
"I assure you I have no idea what you mean." he exclaimed. His fellow guard started to smile.  
"Oh mellon! You did not tell me you wish to court the lady Vanya! No wonder you always get up first to assist her." the elf said. Alonnen became very flustered and even started to blush a little.  
"I- I do not know what you two speak of!" he half yelled. I started to sniff the air dramatically.  
"Do you smell that?" I sniffed again. "It's a very distinct smell. Yes, the smell of bullshit." I said, bluntly turning my head to look at him. They both stared at me, shocked I guess. Alonnen started to stutter, but his friend began to smile.  
"Suilad my lady, my name is Gwendir." he said, bowing his head. I gave him a smile.  
"Hi Gwendir, tell your dear mellon Alonnen that he better not hurt my friend or I will destroy his man fruits. Bye!" I threatened as I left the cellar, walking backwards keeping eye contact trying to look menacing, though the affect was slightly ruined when I almost knocked over a flagon of wine.

 

When I reached my room, I decided to go to Vanya's chambers instead. Knocking on the door first, I poked my head in.  
"Hey Vanya." I said stepping into the room after she gestured at me to come in. I frowned, seeing she looked very sad. "What's wrong. Are you okay?"  
"Oh Annie, do you think he could ever love me?" she asked, her eyes big and sad. Shocked, I could only stare at her for a second. Vanya was so utterly beautiful with dark brown hair and blue eyes, it was impossible to believe she had doubts about herself.  
"Vanya! Are you kidding me? He's so obviously infatuated with you it's not even funny!" I exclaimed. She looked down and shrugged. "If he doesn't put on his big boy pants and tell you how he feels, it's his fault."  
She gave me a hug. "Thank you mellon. It means a lot that I can tell you my feelings. Tell me, do you ever get sad about your other life?"  
"Well, I miss my family, friends and all the technology. Especially music. That was always something I looked forward too." I said. Suddenly, my eyes popped open and I let out a strangled shriek. "My iPod! Oh my gosh I totally forgot about it. It must be in the forest somewhere!" Vanya stood up, pushing me towards the door.  
"Go Annie, I do not know what it is you seek, but you must find it. It could still be out there where it dropped. Only a little more than a week has passed." Sprinting out the door, I ran all the way to Thranduil's throne room. Knowing this was probably really rude, I prepared myself for getting yelled at.  
"King Thranduil! I gasped, exhilarated from my first run in days. "I need to find something I dropped in the woods." He looked at me with his irritatingly calm face. Cocking his head to the side he surveyed my expression.  
"Why should I let you go beyond my palace and into the woods. How do I know this will not be some evil trap?" he said, his eyes regarding me suspiciously.  
Jumping up and down out of frustration, I said "I promise you can send a guard with me. It may take me a while to remember where we walked, but it couldn't have gone anywhere. I'll bring it back and led you see it if you want. Please?" I said, giving him big puppy eyes. I didn't really think it worked on kings, but it was worth a shot.  
"Legolas will be your guide. He found you and knows the path you took, as he was the one who discovered you. Be ready in an hour's time. Do anything to harm my son or this kingdom, and you will never again be treated with my hospitality." I gave him a huge smile.  
"Thank you so much!" Hopping up and down, I awkwardly scooted out of the throne room, trying to look like I was normal. Then, as soon as I was out of Thranduil's watchful eye, I power walked all the way back to my room to get ready for my trek outside.

 

A gentle knock was heard at my doorway. I stumbled to the arch out of excitement, but before I opened the door, I smoothed my dress out and patted down my hair. Not that it was going to impress anybody, but I still felt a little self conscious in front of all these pretty elves. I opened the door.  
"Hi." I said to Legolas. He was in his usual outfit. Organic looking armor over a tunic with a bow and arrow upon his back. There were also two sword looking thingies sticking out, but I wouldn't get into details. As always, he was wearing a suspicious yet slightly curious expression on his face.  
"My father says I am to escort you along our previous path in order to find a lost belonging?" he questioned, looking puzzled.  
"I totally forgot earlier, but do you remember the strings I had stuck in my ears when you found me?" He nodded. "Well they must have fallen of during your capturing." He looked affronted.  
"My Lady Annie, I did not capture you. I simply escorted you." I rolled my eyes.  
"Now is not the time to sound chivalrous Leggy. Let's go find an apple product." Looking put off and still confused, Legolas and I set off towards the main entrance to exit the huge cavern, or as I like to call it, The Labriynth.  
Woah! Thranduil even reminds me of the Goblin King. David Bowie version of course.  
Finally reaching the guarded entrance of the giant archway, Legolas gestured for me to follow him. Blinking quite violently at all the sudden sunlight, I veered off after him, only slightly staggering.  
As I was led by Legolas, I looked all around me, taking in the outdoors. You really underestimate nature until you are kept inside for a while. Surveying the ground, I looked for any shiny or futuristic looking objects. Hopefully, no animals had carried it off to burrow it away somewhere. I doubted it though, this forest they call Mirkwood seems to be devoid of any creatures. Just kidding, I just saw a giant spiderweb. Wonder what that's all about.  
Up ahead a couple of feet, Legolas searched the ground. "What is it we are looking for?" He questioned, raising his blue eyes to my own brown ones.  
"Uhhhh." I struggled to describe it to him without being confusing. These elves didn't exactly have plastic. "Shiny. A rectangular object with a square and a circle on it." He nodded, walking ahead. Tripping over a twisted root, I thought about how unhealthy traipsing over tangled roots for the balance challenged was.  
"Lady Annie, I think I have found what you are searching for." Stumbling ahead to reach him, I almost fell as I came to an abrupt halt in front of my iPod. Half buried in the dirt, it was barely visible to the eye.  
Hella smooth Leggy.  
Crouching down, I picked it up, brushing off the dry black leaves and filth. Thankfully the forest canopy made it to where any rain was nearly impossible to pass. Holding my breath, I held down the power button. For a second, nothing happened, but then to my amazement, the screen lit up. Quickly standing back up, I gaped at it for a minute. Stuffing a headphone in my ear I gave the other to Legolas. He stood there, looking hesitant before putting it in his ear as well. He was still next to me. Probably wondering what the heck type of sorcery I was playing at or something. Scrolling through my extensive list of songs, I racked my brain for the perfect song to play in this new world. Feeling ironic, I selected 'Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks. And for three minutes and twenty seconds, I basked in the powerful voice of the lead singer for Fleetwood Mac.  
My iPod abruptly died during an instrumental part. I looked at it for a minute before turning to Legolas, grinning like an idiot.  
"It worked! It worked! Ahahahaha that was awesome!" I exclaimed as I jumped up and down, doing a weird little shuffle-disco thing. I was never one for dancing.  
"Annie, that was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. It must have been strong magic." Legolas said, a surprised look of wonder on his face. He frowned. "What was that movement you just performed?" he asked. My eyes widened.  
Ugh, he saw that didn't he.  
"It's dancing Legolas, you should try it sometime." I snapped. He gave me an amused smile.  
"I have. Your dance is not of elvish nature. Is that really how your kind moves?" I was about to defend my people, but then I saw his point. I wasn't exactly the poster child for slick dance moves.  
"Pfff. Atleast I wasn't twerking." I said.  
"What is twerking Annie?" I froze, not believing I had just heard that word come out of his mouth. I briefly considered demonstrating.  
Okay wait I don't even know how to twerk. Plus it would just be a bad idea on so many levels.  
I realized this was a chaste(wait maybe he is secretly kinky I'll never know), serious and sophisticated elvish prince. His mind did not need to be scarred just yet. I gave him a secretive smile. "Maybe one day you'll find out." I winked at him and turned around to walk back the way we came, trying to look smooth as I made my way towards The Labyrinth.  
"The palace is this way my Lady." Legolas called.  
Right.  
Walking back to the palace, I decided to stall, trying to prolong the walk in the forest to the longest I could. I knew I wouldn't be able to leave again for a while.  
"Hey Leggy, want to climb this tree." I said, posing in a game show hostess type way. My hip jutting out and my hands spread out in an exaggerated way towards the tree. He gave me a strange look.  
"Annie, can you even climb?" he asked as he gave me a speculative look. I gave him an 'oh no you didn't' face right back.  
"Puh! Can I climb a tree? Please, I'm like freaking Katniss." Swiveling around I looked up at the lowest branch, doing some flamboyant unnecessary stretches just to annoy Legolas, I swung my arms around the limb and pulled myself up. Showing him just how much feminine grace and manners I had, I scrambled up the tree branches with one hand(the other was holding the dead iPod) until I got halfway up. Looking down to see if he was coming, I shrieked in panic when I realized he was already besides me. He even had to reach out a hand to steady me so I didn't fall off the dang branch.  
"Hello." was all he said. I snorted. I couldn't believe I was in a tree with a prince. He looked at me like I was crazy. "I have never heard an elleth make a sound like that before!" I just snorted in laughter before covering my face. I heard him chuckle. Glancing up, I saw he was smiling a little bit.  
"So Mr. Elvish Prince, what brings you up in a tree with a elleth making strange noises?" I asked.  
"The previously mentioned elleth proposed for me to scale a tree with her." He said. I laughed.  
"Didn't your parents ever tell you not to climb trees with strange elleths?" He smiled even wider. Sighing, I hugged the tree. Legolas gave me a questioning look. "I don't usually act like a hippie, but being inside for so long gave me extreme cabin-fever." I confessed, stroking the bark like some hard-core bohemian flower child. Clambering down through all the branches, I watched Legolas slide down the tree with some serious parkour moves. I eyed him enviously.  
"I am glad you found your lost item. It was truly a wonder to see." He said. I struggled to not tackle him in a hug.  
#thestruggle. Haha. No.  
"Thank you so much. It mean't the world to me to hear that last song. If you hadn't had found it, it would have been lost forever. Thank you." I said, drawing in as much sincerity as I could into my voice. He bowed his head in response. He then started to lead the way back through the path we came from.  
"What was the song that came from your….pod? It was a woman who had such a rough voice." He said, frowning to himself.  
"It's a song about a woman aging. She was basically reminiscing. Her voice is unique, which is why she was famous. I played it because I'm about to be eighteen." I said, looking at him. He nodded.  
"Most elleth singer's voices sound gentle and calming. This woman was very different from any voice, male or female, that I have ever heard."  
"Well, I guess that just adds on to the thousands of differences between our worlds." I stated with a sad smile.  
Suddenly, a figure was in front of us. It was Tauriel. She looked at us curiously. She bowed her head at Legolas and looked between us. I probably had leaves and dirt all over me, though Legolas was perfectly clean. I gave her a wave.  
"Mae Govannen Tauriel!" I said, proud of the elvish Vanya had taught me. She gave me a small smile.  
"Are my eyes cheated by a spell, or were the two of you climbing trees?" she asked, raising a mischievous eyebrow at the both of us. Legolas just hid a grin while I flat out snorted again. Tauriel look alarmed, probably wondering if I was possessed by some sort of devilry.  
"She does that." Legolas said. I nudged his shoulder in mock anger.  
"Atleast I don't climb onto trees with strangers." I countered back, narrowing my eyes at him, but my smile gave me away. He turned back to Tauriel after smirking at me.(A/N: HOOOOOOOOOOOOT)  
"The shift is still on the northern borders this night correct?" He asked. Tauriel nodded grimly. Looking back at me, she brought her gaze to my hands.  
"What is it you hold?" she asked with curiosity. I held it out for her to hold. She took it with hesitation, like she thought it was going to bite.  
"It's a tool that plays interments and voices." I explained, putting it in simple terms. Her hands stroked the smooth plastic surface. She handed it back to me, wonder on her face. "I would play it, but the power is gone." She nodded, smiled at us, then bid her farewell, as she had to attend to her captain duties. I liked her, she was cool. Suspicious towards others, but cool nonetheless. I studied Legolas' face as she glided off.  
I swear it's like they all ride invisible segways.  
Legolas face remained neutral even as he looked back at me. "So you and Tauriel are good friends?" I questioned.  
"Yes. We have lead the guard together for some time." I nodded, trying to decipher what that meant. He continued. "She is a very dear friend, almost like a sister to me." he finished, looking at me with a smile. I don't know why, but a flood of relief washed over me when he said 'like a sister'. Shrugging it off, I picked up my walking pace and we continued to the palace where he walked me all the way to my chambers.  
"You don't have to walk me all the way down." I kept insisting as we made our way around the winding cavern.  
"I insist Lady Annie. It is only proper of me to lead a woman to her door.  
"Man! I feel like a woman." I muttered under my breathe, laughing at the cheesy Shania Twain lyric. Legolas gave me a puzzled look.  
"Why do you laugh?"  
"It's just in my world, girls are lucky to get a honk from a guy's car when he comes to pick her up." I admitted. Honestly, I was never really into the whole 'guy serves girl' idea. I believed in common courtesy. If someone reaches the door first, that's who opens the door, whether male or female. Same with paying for dinner. If a guy asked you on a date, he can pay. If a girl asks someone on a date, she can pay. But if it's a mutual meet up, then just pay for your own meal. Seemed simple to me.  
"That is a shame my lady. You are worth walking to the door." With that, he gave a little bow and left. My heart gave a little flutter.  
That man is way too good looking for his own good.  
Shaking my head at the thought, I walked into my room. Placing my iPod onto my bedside table, I gazed at the small burning candle. Feeling like a kid again, I stuck my pinky finger into the wax, creating a little cap as it dried. Feeling complete with my day, I brushed my fingers across my iPod, glad it worked for one last time. I guess because I was really tired, it led to me knocking it onto the ground. Bending over to retrieve it, I forgot how big of a radius my hair was. I heard a popping sound and smelled something burning.  
"Aghhhhh! Ahhhhh! Ughhhhh!" I yelled as I stopped, dropped, and rolled. Catching my hair on fire will definitely not be one of my fondest memories.  
Huffing, I shook out my disintegrating burned hair pieces. Luckily, it was only on the ends of half of my hair, so it could be fixed. I held back tears, feeling silly for caring about my hair so much, and also mad at myself for getting into such unfortunate situations. I let out a long sigh, walking to Vanya's chamber. I knocked on her door. When she opened it, she let out a strangled cry, pulled me into the room, and used a small knife to even out my singed locks. My hair was now just past my shoulders. Tired, I thanked her profusely and went back to my room to sleep, only to dream about climbing endlessly tall trees with an angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peek of next chapter: "Annie, are you the one who has been taking spoons from the kitchens?"
> 
> Author's note:  
> Ohhhhhh Gosh the last line was so cheesy don't judge me! Thank you 'Lakesun' for reminding me about the ipod. Also thank you my certain private messenger for saying elves do sleep. I was aware they 'sleep' but with their eyes open and don't need very much to function. In my mind that doesn't really mean sleeping, because they could do it sitting or standing up probably. It's more like a power napping lol. That is why Thranduil says Annie sleeps like a mortal, because she slept long and with her eyes closed.  
> ANNIE AND LEGGY HAD A BONDING MOMENT! Mwahaha this chapter was so much fun. On the twerking part I literally unleashed this hideous cackle laugh as I envisioned Legolas performing such an act.  
> This is my opinion, please do not hate: I think Tauriel is a great female empowerment character. BUT I did not like how pretty much 40% of the movie was centered around her. It was a book centered around Bilbo/Thorin/Thranduil. She said she was going to go kill some orcs, but when she got to Lake-Town she only killed the one's by Kili's bed of walnuts(lol). Legolas ended up actually chasing the orcs. I REALLY LIKE HOW SHE BROKE THE STEREOTYPE THOUGH WOOHOO GIRL POWER PEW PEWW! I just felt like there was way too much hype, when it should have been centered around the actual main characters. Please don't hate this is a personal opinion. I do like her, just not that so much was taken away from the actual Thorin & Company.  
> Thank you for reading, please review. I'm open for any advice or suggestions.


	5. Bread Worshipping, Secret Notes, and Mud

"Okay, you can do this Annie. It's just dough, it can't hurt you." I urged myself, trying to mold the mixture into an acceptable form. I had wanted to bake a cake or something for Legolas because of what he'd done for me yesterday, but seeing as how there are no artificial ingredients here, I had to borrow a bread recipe from Vanya.

Vanya had asked me if I needed help, but I had told her I could do it, I just needed a way to use an oven and bread items. Because she is my designated guide/personal guard/best friend, she was able to pull some strings so I could use one of the serving kitchens.

Sliding the pan filled with the dough into the traditional fire powered oven, I prayed that this turned out okay. The ingredients were foreign because they were from scratch and the measurements weren't even close to back home. After trying to eye the right amount of flour and what not, I ended up just pouring random quantities of stuff together.

Since the bread would take a while to bake, I decided to write a very meaningful and sophisticated note to go with it. Subsequently thinking for quite a while onto what I was going to say, I came up with this:

Dear Leggy of the Woodland Realm, Savior of Lost Girls, and Tree Climbing Companion.

Thank you for venturing out with me to obtain my lost iPod, it means a lot.

I then drew a stick figure drawing of Legolas and I in a tree.

P.S. Thanks for climbing a random tree with me even though you probably didn't want to.

P.S.S. Thanks for not running away screaming when I unleashed my snort laugh upon you.

Feeling that my note was sufficient enough for the cause, I paced around the kitchen, collecting spoons and putting them in a pile. I almost had enough from all the meetings in the lunch hall. Watching for the bread to become a light brown color on the top of the loaf, I wondered to myself if Legolas could even read english writing, or if he knew what 'P.S.' stood for.

Jumping up in down in spastic excitement, I grabbed two cloths to use as mitts and pulled the pan out of the oven. Holding the giant loaf up in the air, stretching one leg out in front of me, I prepared myself to sing a very serious song to welcome my first baking creation into this world.

"NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA INGOYYYYYYAAAAAAAAMMAAAAAA BAAAAAAGITHIIIIIIIII BABBAAAAAAAAAAAA"

I heard a startled squeak from behind me and realized there was a frightened looking elleth of the kitchen staff staring at me in wide eyed horror. She turned around and high-tailed it out of the kitchens. Grabbing my pile of spoons, I sprinted after her, yelling that I wasn't, and I quote 'A satanic ritual practicer of all things yeast'.

 

Returning back to the kitchens after my confrontation with an elf who had just witnessed me belt out the beginning of the Lion King, I carried my loaf of bread and the note, now en route to what I guessed were the royal chambers. As I recall from my memory of Vanya leading me around, it was near the throne room and to the far right.

A guard was stationed in front of the royal area, so I hesitantly walked up and thrust the pan at him.

"Okay, I promise this is not poisoned or anything it's just bread. Could you please put this in front of the Prince's room and stick this note on his door?" I pleaded. There was no way I could actually get into Legolas' room, so this was my best shot.

Regarding me with extreme suspicion, he took the bread and whipped out a dagger from somewhere on him. Slicing out a chunk of the bread, he chewed it slowly.

Rude.

When he realized he wasn't dead, he nodded at me but stayed standing still. Guessing he wanted me to leave first, I gave him a big smile and wave, turned around and treaded back to my chambers.

 

 

I dumped my spoons onto my bed and pulled out all the others from under my pillow. I had only lost a couple whilst running after the elleth. Unfortunately, her legs were insanely long, so I couldn't catch up to her and explain myself. She's probably spreading rumors right now about the crazy girl who sang to her bread.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, I pulled out some twine that Vanya had so generously given me. Winding the string around the spoons, I planned to make a wind chime to decorate my room. I had never been much into crafts back in my old world, but when you have nothing better to do but stay indoors, you find different things to do.

This is a confusing and frustrating project, not sure if I have the patience to do this. Twine keeps getting tangled and I feel like walking around.

I ventured to Vanya's room to check in. Peeking in the door, I waved to get her attention. "Hey can I go roam around, I'm feeling restless."

She smiled and nodded. "Oh, how did your baking turn out?" she asked. I froze. Giving her a reassuring smile, I told her that her bread recipe was great and that if she heard any rumors about me performing ghastly rituals, it's a lie. She looked confused but accepted my answer.

Slipping out into the corridors, I felt the need to make something, though not anything like the complicated wind chime I was making before. An idea popped into my head, so I started to make my way down to the depths of the Woodland Realm's cavern.

If you are a human who has been switched to the life of an elf, you can get quite bored with the slow moving life. This may lead to why Legolas caught me digging for clay in a secluded cave.

He didn't even say anything, just kind of stared at me as if waiting for an excuse.

"Uhhhhhh hi." I stuttered out, trying to look inconspicuous as I tried to quickly wipe off my muddy hands. I was currently seated in a crouching position. Not exactly the most attractive or ladylike position to be caught in by an elvish princeling.

"Lady Annie, what are you doing?" he asked, a bewildered look on his face. I scratched my nose, trying to look nonchalant.

"Um, well, back home, I was in this class called ceramics. We made things out of clay. I figured that the bottom of this place would have it because of the river rapids and stuff nearby." I said, not sure if I was about to get in trouble.

Legolas smirked and walked very close to me. My breathe came in shallow.

What in the actual heck is this boy about to do?

He reached a hand up to my face and brushed something off my nose. I then realized in horror that when I had scratched my nose, dirt must have smeared onto my face. Blushing, I looked down at the ground. I heard him chuckle.

"Are you laughing at me?" I exclaimed, my frown turning into a smile.

"Never, in all my years of life, have I met a more impatient and restless elleth." he stated, looking at me seriously for a moment.

"Well technically, it's more of a human who's literally ran into another world and somehow in that whole process got converted into an elf." I countered.

His face formed a thoughtful expression as he was quiet for a moment. He looked really hot.

Wait what?

"Annie, are you the one who has been stealing spoons from the kitchens?" he questioned, looking at my face intently. I gaped at him.

Dear God he's found me out.

I scuffed my shoes on the ground in defeat.

"I wanted to make a wind chime..." I muttered, my eyes casted downwards. He chuckled, but his face was confused.

"But there is no wind in your chambers." he stated bluntly. I gave him an offended look.

"Well excuse me for thinking that one day I would get out of here! Maybe I'm making it for when I get a home of my own one day!" I exclaimed. He frowned.

"Do you really wish to leave so badly?" he asked, his voice low.

"Well. No. But that's not the point. One day I would like to have my own house. Maybe even travel around a little." I crossed my arms, looking up at him. "Sorry for taking the spoons, I'll put them back." Smiling, he chuckled a bit.

"Annie, I think you are going to need a scheduled activity in order to keep yourself out of trouble. I will consult my father for an appointment." he said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Who said I wanted to be…scheduled around?" I snapped, getting my sassy on. Legolas looked at my mud-splattered appearance and wild hair.

"I thank you for the bread." he said, obviously avoiding my question. It worked, I perked up at the mention of my beloved loaf.

"Did you like it?" I asked, hope in my eyes. He opened his mouth before shutting it again. I sighed. "You hesitated."

"It was….unlike any bread I have ever tasted before my lady."

"I'm pretty sure that was just your polite way of saying it was the nastiest thing ever, but thanks for trying to make me feel better." I smiled at him. He smiled back and took my arm, leading me back out of the cave.

"Perhaps you should clean yourself Annie." he said. I scowled at him but let him lead me back to my room. I was tongue-tied at the close proximity.

We chatted about the architecture all the way up to my chambers. Upon reaching my door, he bowed and bid me goodnight. Gazing at him as he walked away, I turned to see a mischievous looking Vanya in my room.

"Gaaaaaaah" I let out a strangled scream, sliding to the floor. I definitely was not expecting to see her waiting up for me in my room like some mother staying up for her daughter on her first date.

Groaning as I rubbed my bruised butt, I said "Vanya, what the hell?"

"What were you and the Prince up to?" she questioned, a small smirk on her face. I covered my face and let out a snort.

"Nothing, he just caught me digging around in dirt. I'll tell you the details tomorrow, I'm tired and need to get cleaned up." I said. She shook her head and grinned at me as she exited the room.

"I expect a full explanation!" she called out.

"Okay!" I yelled back, making my way over to the bathing rooms. There I took a bath and returned to my room, falling asleep almost immediately, but not before I looked up at the ceiling and smiled, remembering the way he brushed my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peek of next chapter: Oh wait. Bra.
> 
> Hello! Thank you for reading. Lo and behold the fifth chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Legolas and Annie had another moment hehe :) This whole chapter is literally just a filler that will help lead on to the next chapter. Not any of Thranduil or Tauriel, I apologize.
> 
> PLEASE REVIEW I LITERALLY DO A LITTLE HAPPY DANCE EVERY TIME SOMEONE COMMENTS!


	6. Tackling, Pure Talent, and Mean Girl References

I jolted up right in my bed. "GAHHH!" I shouted, promptly scrambling out of bed and onto the floor. It's been two days. Two days since Legolas sent me a note ordering me to be ready this morning and meet him at the front gate. Do you know how hard it is to stay out of trouble and not know what you are scheduled to do? And now, because I'm an idiot, I'm going to be late.

Muttering to myself, I fetched my old workout clothes from home and shrugged them on. Grabbing my sneakers in hand, I rushed out of my room, excited to find out the plan for today.

Oh wait. Bra.

Swiveling back into my room, I wrestled on my sports bra, then sprinted to the front gate to meet Legolas.

Skidding to a halt, I half fell over before straightening up. Legolas raised his eyebrow.

Gasping for breath, I tried to explain myself. "I did not trip!" I sucked in air. "Woke up. Late. Bra." Falling to the floor, I shoved on my shoes and tied the laces. The guards at the large archway were staring at me in alarm. I pushed myself back up to my feet. "So Mr. Prince, what's the schedule today?"

He surveyed my appearance. "The king has allowed me to test your skills with weapons." he stated, eying my workout leggings.

"Wait. Doesn't your father not trust me? Why would he let me play with dangerous equipment. For all he knows, I could be some super skilled assassin!" I exclaimed, very confused.

Legolas gave a smirk. "Are you an assassin who is skilled in weaponry?" he asked. I scratched at my nose and walked past him, muttering about how my disguise was very put together and clever.

We reached a clearing right outside of the Elvenking's halls. It was a wide area about half the size of a football field, with a simple mosaic stone floor. In the corner, there was a very large tree that was seemingly hollowed out, with several pointy looking weapons stationed inside it.

"Lady Annie, do you know how to use any type of weapon?" Legolas questioned, looking at me curiously.

I snorted. "Um, no." He really doesn't need to know about my mad paintball skills.

He nodded his head, then walked up to the 'closet' of weapons and pulled out a medium sized sword. Handing it to me gently, he pulled out one of his own from his back. "Hold the handle with your dominant hand, then place your other on the bottom."

I did as I was told, somewhat clumsily. "I can already tell this is going to end badly." I announced, giving the death stick in my hand a hesitant look.

He gave me a reassuring look. "You will be fine Annie, just grip the handle tight." I giggled at the 'that's what she said' innuendo in my head, but when he gave me a curious look, I cleared my throat and tried to concentrate and act mature.

"So um, do I just swing it around." I asked.

His eyes widened. "No!" he exclaimed, then proceeded to teach me how to not stab myself. For the next three days, he taught me the ways of sword fighting, though it was not at all smooth sailing.

Narrowing my eyes, I stared at Legolas. He smirked, drawing his sword into a battle stance. I gave an evil smile. For three days he's taught me how to move my arms and legs to strike. He's been very patient, even though I still have no idea what I'm doing. All day and into the evenings we've practiced, and all I know how to do is stand correctly.

A burst of confidence bolted through me, so I decided to use the element of surprise. I charged at him and dropped my sword, screaming a garbled battle cry. I tackled him, fully planning to knock him over. Instead, I bounced off, landing on the ground.

Oh right, elves are strong.

Legolas knelt down next to me. "Annie, are you alright?"

I squinted at him. "I will be now. GAHHHH!" I bellowed, successfully pulling him down from his kneeling position. We both tumbled to the ground. I was on my back and he was practically on top of me. Laughing, we both tried to catch our breath. I stared at strikingly blue eyes, grinning like an idiot. He locked gaze with me and gave a small smirk.

"Ahem." a voice announced not very far away. Still chuckling, we dislodged ourselves from each other, not realizing what a compromising position we had been in. Looking up I realized Tauriel was standing in front of us with eyebrows raised.

I cleared my throat while Legolas stood up and stared sheepishly back at her. "Yes?" he replied, looking slightly panicked.

"May I ask what you and the lady are doing?" she asked, looking confused as I tried to pat down my mass of hair.

Legolas tried to look serious. "Annie has just successfully disarmed me." he said, looking sideways at where I sat cross legged on the ground. I waved at her.

She nodded her head and turned back to Legolas with a smile on her face. "Is that so? Well, I must say, that is no easy feat."

He grumbled. "It was a lucky try." he replied, retrieving his sword from where it was strewn.

I gaped at him. "Puh! Lucky? That was pure talent!" I exclaimed, pushing myself up. I looked at Tauriel's slim figure and Legolas' fit bodies. Sighing, I gazed down at myself. The black Nike leggings were slimming, but you could see I wasn't elegant and willowy.

Can elves be overweight?

I wasn't overweight, but my hips were considered 'child bearing' you could say. Standing at 5'4, I knew there was no chance that Legolas would think me beautiful, not with beauties like Vanya and Tauriel walking around. Looking between the two, I realized they were both watching me. I gave a smile, avoiding the blond elf's gaze.

"Do you enjoy training?" Tauriel asked, sensing my sudden disappointment.

I nodded my head vehemently. "I love it. Seriously, I never knew how complicated yet fun it could be." I said, looking at her bright red hair and green outfit. My eyes widened. "What time of year is it?" I questioned, an idea forming in my head.

They both glanced at each other confusedly. "It is winter." Legolas stated, probably wondering why I didn't know my dates.

I frowned in confusion. "Do elves not feel temperature?" I asked. Back at home, it was only November, which still had fairly warm weather. They both nodded their heads.

"I have to go back to my room, will you excuse me?" I exclaimed, already turning to the direction of the Woodland Realm's entrance.

Legolas bowed his head. "You may. I have night shift with Tauriel soon."

Giving a frantic wave, I barreled towards my chambers, unleashing several cackle laughs along the way, earning strange looks.

Humming various Christmas songs to myself, I rubbed my eyes and yawned. I had been up all night making ornaments out of spoons, twine, and candle wax. Careful not to light my hair on fire again, I layered the substance like stripes across the spoon, making it look like a candy cane.

"These ornaments are dangerous and inconvenient, but I do love Christmas!" I told myself. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or just me normally, but I decided to amuse myself. Tugging the white case of my pillow, I wrapped it around my face and tied it so it looked like a really fluffy beard, shoveling all my homemade objects into my arms and walking out the door.

Pausing outside Vanya's door, I pulled the best looking ornament out of the pile and stepped into her room. "Vanya? Do we have a 'Vanya' here?

Vanya gave my ratchet costume an alarmed look. "I am right here mellon….Annie what are you-"

"Oh Vanya, here you go, one for you! Must spread the Christmas spirit, I shall explain later!" I replied vaguely, skipping out the door to make my way towards the rest of the royal halls.

Spotting Tauriel and Legolas presumably walking in from their late night guard duties, I made my way towards them in my best flamboyant swagger making sure my beard was still intact. The looks on their faces were priceless. "Ah, Tauriel? FOUR for you, Tauriel! You go, Tauriel!" I cried in my best Santa/Damian voice. I swiveled around to look at Legolas. "Do you still think it was a lucky shot yesterday?" he nodded, a smug look on his face. "And none for Legolas, bye!" I announced, power walking like the wind away, much to their dismay. All the way back to my room, I passed out spoon ornaments to anybody who walked by, casually stating 'Merry Christmas'. Reveling in the winter cheer, I received many odd looks, but that didn't matter, because I had one more goal to reach before I collapsed from exhaustion.

Sticking my tongue out in concentration back in my room, I was using the remainder of my wax to piece together some leaves I had found stuck on my clothing from trips outside. I shuddered, thinking about how disastrous I looked compared to all the other elves. Fashioning the string to the bundle, I slipped out of my room and into the corridors, cackling like a giddy maniac.

Hiding behind a pillar, I waited for Vanya and Alonnen to pass by, ditching my makeshift beard. My lovely friend had made the mistake of telling me that everyday in the early afternoon, they would pass each other in the same place every day. She thought it was terribly romantic that it was the same place at the same time, so I thought I would hang a little mistletoe at the top of the corridor doorway. When they walk underneath, I'll pop out and pretend to casually be walking by. Of course, I'll have to explain why it is there and why it's bad luck to not preserve the tradition.

Dear Lord I am so evil…

Hearing footsteps approach, I pushed myself back against the wall and held my breathe.

"Oh. H-hello Lady Vanya." a breathless voice said. I recognized it as Alonnen.

I heard a nervous laugh. "Hello." she said. I peaked out. They were both smiling at each other, eyes locked in a starstruck gaze.

Whistling nonchalantly. I stepped out of my hiding place. They both jumped and gave startled expressions. I pretended to look surprised. "Well hey! Look who we have here! Two lovely youngsters meeting by chance under a mistletoe!" I stated, trying to contain my excitement.

They both looked up, confused. "What do you mean, mellon?" Vanya questioned.

I made an innocent expression. "Well my fellow watermelons, you see, it's Christmas time and… well.. I just wanted to spread the holiday cheer by lightening up this dark cavern." They both still had looks of utter confusion, so I cut to the chase and pointed dramatically to the fixture hanging from the ceiling. "That is a mistletoe. Any two people who meet under it must kiss. It's considered very bad luck if you decline." I said, looking pointedly at Alonnen, who was blushing. Vanya's eyes were wide and she looked slightly panicked. "Very, very bad luck." I whispered again, just for dramatic affect.

"I-I-I do not- why- appropriate- I." Alonnen stuttered, though he was looking into Vanya's eyes. She blushed a brilliant red and lowered her head. Slipping back several feet, I watched from a distance as the two elves got lost in each other's eyes.

Alonnen put on a determined face and stepped closer to Vanya. She squealed like a mouse and covered her face, obviously nervous. Gently, he pulled her hands away and slowly lowered his mouth to hers. It was a sweet and chaste kiss that left both of them with nervous smiles.

Vanya was still blushing as she pulled me away and quite violently dragged me away from the love stricken looking Alonnen, who proceeded to walk down to the cellars. Whirling me around to face her, I braced myself for the worst. "Annie…that was…perfect!" she half yelled, jumping up and down.

I grinned and hopped with her. "I told you he liked you!"

"Oh Annie! His lips were so soft! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

I shook my head. "It was no problem, that was the most adorable thing I've ever seen."

Vanya gave one last huge smile, looking like she was about to float away. "I'm beginning to like this Christmas of yours." she giggled. "If you'll excuse me, I must go clear my head. Would you come see me tonight?"

I nodded my head enthusiastically. "Of course! Go have girly thoughts now." I urged. She gave a bubbly laugh and walked away, touching her lips softly.

"Annie? What are you up to now?" a voice asked. I whirled around to see Legolas, looking handsome as ever.

I was still smiling from my best friend's kiss. "Oh, you know, just spreading the love."

"Did you hand out all your… creations?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

I stepped backwards a several feet, hands behind my back. "Why, do you want one?" He shrugged. "Hmmm well, you're going to have to admit I tackled you yesterday because of pure talent."

He followed me until he we were face to face. "No, I don't think I will." I was about to retort when he suddenly looked up. "What is this?" he said, reaching up to touch my homemade mistletoe.

My eyes widened in alarm. "Uhhh, you know, some stuff. Decorations?" I questioned, my mind going blank.

Footsteps sounded from behind. "I do believe anybody who steps under a mistletoe has to kiss the other, or else a horrible curse will fall upon them." It was Vanya. She kept on walking by nonchalantly and gave me a suggestive smile. I gave her a scared look in return.

Vanya you sneaky lit-

Legolas turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. He stepped closer, leaving only a small gap between us. I took a step away and started to trip backwards. He caught me before I fell and we both stared at each other.

I started to panic. And, because I'm a complete moron, I scrambled out of his arms and sprinted all the way back to my chambers, collapsing onto my bed and rolling onto my face.

Annie you are an idiot.

Sighing, I realized that the kiss wouldn't have mean't anything anyway. He was a hot prince. I was an average looking…peasant? It didn't matter, either way nothing would happen between us. I'm just happy being his friend. My thoughts floated to past Christmas celebrations and my eyes watered up.

I'm never going to see any of my family or friends again.

My eyes watered at the revelation. Wiping away the tears, I rolled on to my side and tried to fall asleep and not think about lost family and elves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi! Thank you for reading, whether you are new or a follower. First of all, ANNIE AND LEGOLAS' SHIP NAME IS 'LEGGIE'! Agh it's perfect!
> 
> Secondly, I just wanted to announce my own little Annie moment. Today my friend and I were walking up the stairs talking, and of course, right as I was saying the word 'frickle fracking', my crush walks by. UGH. But we made eye contact. PROGRESS! haha.
> 
> Please review, everybody has been so nice and welcoming. Thank you for the support! If you have any advice or comments, please share. The reviews help keep this story going.
> 
> Also. sorry the ending was a little depressing, but Annie is a young adult, so of course she has her self doubts. Also, nights are when she lets the sadness of losing her old home creep in if you didn't notice. Thorin and Co. reach Rivendell on Durin's Day, so soon the dwarves should appear. I'm struggling on how to continue the story because There and Back Again hasn't come out yet. Like what will happen to Tauriel? How will Legolas behave and react? For now it will go off the book, but if you have suggestions on what will happen, please review. Thank you! FOUR IMAGINARY CANDY GRAMS FOR YOU GLEN COCOS! YOU GO GLEN COCOS!


	7. Sexy Tractors, Spiders, and Concubines

"She thinks my tractor's sexyyyy." I bellowed in the most southern man accent I could. "She's always starin' at meeee as I'm chuggin' aloooong."

Currently, I am squatting in my little cave, simultaneously avoiding Legolas and trying to sculpt a mug out of clay and mud from the ground.

"Annie?" A voice called out, causing me to let out a strangled cry and fall over in quite an undignified position. "Are we still training today?"

I struggled to sit up again. "Legolas, hey, um sure...I just got distracted and uh, lost track of time." I stated nervously, finally peering up at him, patting the ground. "Pop a squat."

"I am not familiar with that phrase, but I assume it means to comply to the same position as yourself." he said as he slowly sank to a graceful stance next to me.

Shrugging, I gave a smile. "More or less."

A silence settled over us as he watched me try to sculpt a crude recreation of a mug. "Annie, yester-" Legolas started, looking at me inquiringly.

Panicking, I speed searched my mind to avoid the most likely awkward conversation to come. I swiped my finger in some mud and leaned forward quickly, spreading it across his forehead. "Simbaaaa."

He gave me a completely bewildered look. "Annie. Did you just place mud upon my face?" he asked, though a ghost of a smile was appearing.

I grinned at him and bowed my head dramatically. "You are now blessed, my watermelon."

A mischievous glint flickered in his eyes. "Well then I must bless you too." He exclaimed. Then, quick as lightning, he smeared mud on my cheek.

I gasped and stood up, placing a hand over my heart, probably spreading more mud on myself. "How dare thee!" I yelled dramatically as I pelted a handful of mud at him. Of course, he lithely stepped out of the way and threw some back at me. It hit the top of my arm and slid down. Glaring at him, I grabbed a giant palm of mud and charged at him, smearing it into his chest. Laughing, he put his arms around me to keep me from falling down. My hands were placed upon his chest.

Gazing up into his eyes smiling, I realized what an intimate embrace we were in. "So um...so training now?"

Legolas released me from his arms and nodded. Sighing, he started to make his way out of the cave up towards the Elvenking's entrance. Covered in mud, I followed him, cursing myself for always ruining the moment.

 

 

Trying to ignore Legolas' close proximity, I aimed my arrow at the target. This was my first time ever using a bow, and I wanted to look graceful, but as Legolas placed a hand on my arm and murmured 'relax' very close in my ear, I made a startled noise and shot the arrow several yards into the forest, completely bypassing the target.

Ignoring Legolas' smug face, I made my way towards the dense trees. "I'll go get it." I huffed, trudging over roots and ducking random branches. There was several arrows back on the training area, but this allowed me to get away and clear my head. He was way too distracting.

"He's just a friend. A hot, kind, secretly sweet friend... But just a friend dammit!" I chanted, looking around haphazardly for the lost arrow. Frowning, I realized that in my haste to get away and sort my thoughts, I had ventured way too far into the forest. Behind me, a strange clicking noise was made.

Turning around very slowly, I came face to face with several beady eyes. It was a giant hairy spider. "Oh shit!" I shouted, scrambling to sprint away. Already lost, I just leapt over roots and slid under branches, the adrenaline helping me to not trip. The monstrosity of a spider crashed after me, hissing from the chase.

Speeding up, panic started to set in. "Help me Jesus! Help me Jewish God! Help me Allah!" I yelled, still running at full speed,"Aghhh! Help me Tom Cruise!" Panting, I racked my brain for a shelter or something to get me out of this mess. "Tom Cruise, use your witchcraft to get the spider away from me!"

"Annie! Duck!" I heard a voice order. Diving to the ground, I put my head in my hands and curled into a ball.

An arrow whizzed over my head and a strangled shriek followed. Raising my head, I looked around to see not only Legolas, but Tauriel and the rest of her whole guard standing tense around me. Feeling self conscious, I heaved myself up. "What. The. Hell?" I cried.

Legolas stepped towards me. "Are you well."

I gave a shaky laugh and tried not to collapse. "Well, considering I almost got eaten by a giant Charlotte on steroids, I'm surprisingly okay."

Suddenly, voices were heard off in the distance. Tauriel and the rest of her guard glided off with weapons drawn. Legolas grazed my cheek with his fingers before following after them. Feeling slightly crazed, I stumbled in their direction.

Sliding full speed into the small clearing full of dead giant spiders, I promptly face planted between two elegant elvish guards. Grumbling obscenities under my breath, I pushed myself up and looked around. Everybody was staring at me with various expressions of bewilderment. Gazing at the short, stout men in front of me, I put my hands on my knees and groaned. "Oh my God there's dwarves here too?" I exclaimed, pushing my mane of curls away from my face. I was still covered in mud, but somehow, Legolas was perfectly clean.

How does he do that?

A scruffy looking dwarf with a floppy hat spoke up. "Aye lass." he said, even though he had an arrow pointed in his face. The others surrounding peered at me in annoyance, but remained quiet. It seems like I'd missed the weapon taking away, for they were defenseless.

"This way." Tauriel growled, leading them towards the way of the Woodland Realm. Still under weapons, the dwarves trailed after the gaurd. I power walked along enthusiastically, trying to look like I belonged with the elves. The largest of the dwarves with bright orange hair gave me a wink and suggestive eyebrow wiggle like he was some sort of ladies man. Startled, I sped up to the front of the line.

Legolas looked sideways at me, his expression grim. "Annie, please tell me you have nothing to do with this."

I gaped at him. "Of course not!" I cried, anger bubbling up inside of me because he thought this. He nodded stiffly. Now thoroughly pissed off, I looked at Tauriel, only to see her glancing at one of the prisoners. Gazing at him, I realized he was the youngest and least hairiest of the company. He was very good looking.

I see what you're looking at girl.

Finally, after several minutes of tense walking, we reached the huge front gate. Looking up at Legolas, I saw he was already staring at me.

He grabbed my arm. "Annie, it would be best if you returned to your chambers." he muttered. Yanking my arm from his grasp, I stalked towards the direction of my room, not looking back.

So distracted by Legolas' distrustfullness, I didn't realize that a palace guard was calling my name. "My lady, King Thranduil requires an audience with you in his personal chamber. He orders you to bring your...music player."

I nodded my head tiredly and continued towards my room.

 

 

Still in my Nike leggings and t-shirt with the sleeves cut of from my old world, I hesitantly stepped into the King's chambers. It was practically empty with a giant natural pool in the middle. Thranduil was standing in the corner, regarding me coolly.

"Lady Annie, let me see your musical instrument." he ordered, holding his hand out elegantly.

I placed my I-pod into his grasp. "It doesn't really work anymore." I said as he turned it over in his hands, studying every inch of the smooth surface.

He handed it back to me. "I would like to believe you are harmless Lady Annie. All of the time you have been here, I have let you roam free as part of my curiosity. It seems my kindness has gotten the best of me, for the dwarves' and your own appearence could not be a coincidence."

As his gaze landed on me, I frowned. "I swear I had no part in this. I didn't even know dwarves existed until today. If I was part of this, I wouldn't have let myself get chased around by a giant spider on steroids!" I exclaimed.

His eyes pierced mine. "Legolas has grown quite fond of you young one."

I blushed. "I really doubt he thinks of me the way you're implying." I muttered, looking down at my running shoes, which of course, were covered in mud.

Thranduil tilted his head to the side. "You may think so, but I will not allow any seductions to occur. Do not think yourself special, I will not allow Legolas to think you as some sort of concubine." he spat out.

Affronted, I glared at him. "First of all, I am not a prostitute! Secondly, I may be from another world, but I would never betray him. I don't even know how to seduce someone, let alone a prince! I can assure you he only thinks of me as a friend." I stated, crossing my arms protectively over my chest.

He turned away from me. "These are dark times young one. No one is to be trusted. You are dismissed."

 

 

Returning to my room, I collapsed on my bed, but then quickly jumped up groaning as I realized how dirty I was. After washing myself and putting on my soft white night shift. I combed my wet hair and sat down on my bed. Vanya and Alonnen were up above, serving some party. Something about 'stars' and 'light' night. Feeling exhausted yet wide awake, I made my way around the corridors, somehow finding myself in a large cave filled with caged doors. Looking around, I caught sight of red hair down below.

"Hello there, pretty lady. What can Bombur do for you?" a smooth voice called. Eyes wide, I looked over to see the giant dwarf giving me more suggestive looks. I gave a small wave and quickly walked down to Tauriel where she was seated in front of a barred door. She regarded me suspiciously but didn't move. I gave her a hesitant smile but tripped, balancing myself on a nearby door.

A voice growled. "Elf scum."

I whipped my head around to see a majestic looking dwarf glaring at me through the doors. I narrowed my eyes and lowered my head to his. "No need to be racist dude. You don't even know me." I replied, bringing on the full sass, tired of the day.

He glared daggers at me. "I would die before getting to know an elf." he spat out.

Shoving my hair away from my face, I rolled my eyes. "Listen here son. That's everybody's problem around here. Nobody can put aside their prejudices to see the bigger problems, like I don't know, the giant freaking spiders just frolicking around! Does nobody see that as a huge problem, cause today everybody acted like they were no big deal." I exclaimed, frustrated.

The dwarf surveyed me. "You are not like any of the elves I have met."

He was right. He was only two or three inches shorter than I. Plus, he definitely saw me face plant earlier. "Right you are." I muttered before making my way towards Tauriel.

She looked slightly embarrassed. "Hello Annie." she said, standing up stiffly.

I looked between her and the handsome dwarf behind bars, smiling. "Hey Tauriel. May I ask who this is?" I questioned mischievously.

Tauriel looked flustered, but the dwarf shot his hand out of the bars for me to shake."Kili, at your service." he stated with charm.

I gave Tauriel a teasing smile before shaking his rough hand. "Annie, though not really at your service, sorry." I gave one last grin at the two before making my way out of the prison cave, giving the majestic dwarf a sarcastic grin and stuck out my tongue.

In horror, I realized I had been walking around the palace in my night shift. Scurrying back to my room, I collapsed onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling replaying the days events, successfully clearing my mind.

For hours, I laid on my back, thinking about nothing and everything, when a knock was placed on my door. Bolting upright, I hurried to the archway, only to see Legolas pacing back and forth with a worried expression.

He looked up when I cleared my throat, walking close to me. "Annie, Tauriel has gone after the dwarves. They escaped earlier in the river and got attacked."

My eyes widened. "No way! what? How?" I asked, searching his face. "Legolas I swear I didn't do th-"

He held up a hand to stop my ramble. "I know Annie. I just came to say farewell. I must go help her." he said, examining my face.

"Oh." I lowered my head.

He took a step forward and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Be careful Annie."

I looked up and nodded. "Ditto Leggy." I replied with a small grin.

Smiling sadly, he lowered his face in front of mine. Slowly, he placed a small kiss on my forehead and walked away, his stride determined.

"Oh dear, I'm in way too deep." I muttered as I slid down the wall and sat down on the ground, hugging my knees against my chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peek of next chapter(maybe): "What the hell is an orc?"
> 
> A/N: HAHAHAHA THIS CHAPTER IS LONG! Please tell me what y'all think! I have something to confess... I wrote this chapter in a notebook, so, to make sure my super bible crazy mom didn't know I was writing Legolas fanfic, I wrote Legolas' name as 'Miguel' every time. Very confusing when converting to computer...
> 
> EYE CONTACT WAS MADE! I REPEAT! EYE CONTACT WAS MADE! Alas! My crush and I did the soul connecting today. I'm getting closer!
> 
> For any dissapointed that things haven't heated up between Leggie, I'm sorry, but she's only 17. She's not even legal. BUT DO NOT WORRY! They have fluff chemistry now, but it will grow with passion when they get to know each other better. Thank you for reading, please review!


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